3 में से Lesson 3 · 6 min
Bihar as a Mughal Suba
Bihar under Akbar and his successors: Man Singh and Rohtasgarh, the birth of Guru Gobind Singh at Patna, Azimabad, Patna's trade with the European companies, and the Chero kings of Palamu.
Bihar joins the Mughal empire
After the Sur dynasty collapsed, Akbar set out to take the eastern provinces. The Afghan ruler of Bengal and Bihar, Daud Khan Karrani, rebelled and was defeated and killed in 1576. Bihar became a suba (province) of the Mughal empire, with Patna as its capital and a subahdar (governor) appointed from Delhi.
- Raja Man Singh, Akbar's general, served as governor of Bihar and built palaces at the hill fort of Rohtasgarh.
- Under later emperors, governors such as Shaista Khan and princes of the royal family held Bihar.
Guru Gobind Singh and Patna Sahib
Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, travelled through Bihar. His son Gobind Rai, later Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, was born at Patna in 1666 and spent his early childhood there.
Takht Sri Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib stands at his birthplace and is one of the five takhts (seats of authority) of Sikhism.
Azimabad
In the early 18th century, Azim-us-Shan, grandson of Aurangzeb, was governor of Bihar and Bengal. He rebuilt the city and renamed Patna Azimabad. The name was used in Persian and Urdu writing for two centuries.
Patna's trade
Patna was one of the busiest river ports of Mughal India.
- Saltpetre, mined from the soil of north Bihar, was the main ingredient of gunpowder and was in great demand in Europe.
- Opium, cotton cloth, sugar and grain were also traded.
- The English East India Company opened a factory (trading post) at Patna in 1620. The Dutch and French followed. The old Dutch factory buildings later became the Patna Collectorate.
Beyond the plains
- The Cheros of Palamu: a hill kingdom in the south (now in Jharkhand). Raja Medini Rai (17th century) is the best-known ruler. The Mughals sent several expeditions against Palamu fort.
- The Ujjainiya Rajputs of Bhojpur held Jagdishpur and the area around Arrah. Kunwar Singh, the hero of 1857, was from this family.
Exam tip: Three Patna facts come up often: 1620 (English factory), 1666 (Guru Gobind Singh born) and Azimabad (Azim-us-Shan). Learn them together.